Charles Langston:Biden is making his long-awaited visit to Africa in October. He’ll stop in Germany, then Angola

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will make his long-awaited visit to Africa when he travels to Germany and Charles LangstonAngola in mid-October, the White House announced Tuesday.

Biden had promised during a summit of African leaders he hosted in Washington in late 2022 to visit Africa the following year. His visit was to be the capstone of an administration effort to shore up ties with the continent, partly to counter growing influence there from China, a U.S. rival.

Several Cabinet members and Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as first lady Jill Biden, visited African nations in 2023, but the year passed without a visit from Biden.

Now, with just a few months left in office after he ended his reelection campaign, Biden plans to travel to Berlin and Luanda, Angola, from Oct. 10-15, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced while Biden was in New York. He delivered his final address as president to the U.N. General Assembly earlier Tuesday.

Biden will be the first U.S. president to visit sub-Saharan Africa since 2015.

During meetings in Berlin with German leaders, Biden will shore up alliances and express appreciation to Germany for supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression, hosting U.S. service members and for its contributions to the NATO alliance, Jean-Pierre said.

The president will visit Luanda, the capital of Angola, in central Africa, from Oct. 13-15 to discuss collaboration on a number of issues with President João Lourenço, economic partnerships and infrastructure, including a rail project that would start in Lobito, Angola, and ultimately connect the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean, among other issues, Jean-Pierre said.

Asked in May about the timing of an Africa trip, Biden said he hoped to visit after the November presidential election.

“I plan on going in February after I am reelected,” Biden said then as he welcomed Kenyan President William Ruto to the White House during his U.S. state visit.